Petiole hydrangea (curly): planting and care, winter hardiness, reviews

Petiole hydrangea is a widespread ornamental plant, characterized by unpretentiousness in cultivation. It is interesting to understand the varieties of hydrangea and its characteristics, this allows you to understand whether it will be possible to grow it on the site.

Description of petiole hydrangea

Decorative petiolate hydrangea is also called curly, weaving or climbing. The stems of the plant are deciduous vines, growing up to 20 m in length, they are usually laid on vertical supports. The leaves of the plant are large, with a pointed base, dark green in color, the flowers are white or pale pink, light purple, collected in large inflorescences 20 cm in diameter.

The species is unique in that it grows in the form of long vines.

Under natural conditions, petiole hydrangea grows on Sakhalin, Korea and Japan in deciduous and coniferous forests. It has been cultivated all over the world since the XNUMXth century.

Varieties of petiole hydrangea

In horticulture, the plant is represented by several popular varieties. Between themselves, the types of petiole hydrangeas differ mainly in the length of the vines and the color of the leaf plates.

Petiolaris

Petioled hydrangea of ​​this variety can grow up to 25 m in height and is perfect for decorating garden plots. Petiolaris is used to decorate buildings, fences and tall trees. The leaves of the plant are dark green, the flowers are greenish or white.

The variety is characterized by rapid growth – per year Petiolaris adds about 1 m in length, thanks to this, you can decorate the garden with flowering vines very quickly

Miranda

Variety Miranda reaches about 10 m in height, blooms almost all summer with white flowers with a pleasant sweet aroma. The variety is considered one of the most beautiful, because it has decorative leaves – bright green in the middle with a yellow border around the edges.

Hydrangea looks good in the garden not only in summer, but also in autumn, when the inflorescences are already falling

cordifolia

Dwarf petiole hydrangea usually grows no more than 1,5 m in height. You can recognize the variety not only by its compact size, but also by the color of the leaves – on the underside they are not bright green, but slightly whitish.

Cordifolia blooms with flowers of a delicate creamy shade.

Another characteristic feature of the variety is its slow growth, which is only 10 cm per year.

Take a Chance

A beautiful petiolate hydrangea has an unusual appearance. The leaves of the plant are dark green with white edging along the edges and marbled, sometimes they become completely whitish. The flowers of Take e Chance are white, with a slight creamy tint.

Flowering continues throughout most of the summer, as with other varieties.

Silver Lining

The petiolate hydrangea grows on average up to 2 m in height, sometimes up to 7 m. It differs in deep green leaves with a white border, the underside of the leaves is reddish.

In summer, the variety blooms profusely with beautiful white flowers, and in autumn it completely acquires a burgundy color and looks very decorative.

Winter Surprise

Hydrangea Winter Surprise usually grows no higher than 2 m. The leaves of the variety are green, but closer to autumn they acquire a reddish, maroon or cherry hue. The variety blooms with snow-white large flowers, hence the name of the plant.

Unlike most hydrangeas, Winter Surprise is characterized by early flowering – in late spring and early summer.

Why petiole hydrangea does not bloom

Although most varieties are quite attractive in their own right, hydrangeas are usually planted in the garden in order to admire their lush and bright blooms. But it happens that the plant does not bloom, and there are several reasons for this:

1. Damage by pests or diseases. If spider mites, aphids and other insects have settled on the plant, or it has suffered from fungal diseases, then flowering can not wait. Hydrangeas do not have enough strength to form buds.
2. Lack of light. Although the petiolate hydrangea can grow in light shade, flowering from it can only be achieved in the presence of good lighting.
3. excess nitrogen in the soil. If the soil is oversaturated with fertilizers, and in particular with nitrogen, the plant will grow rapidly, but it will not be able to form flowers.
4. Wrong cut. Strongly thickened plants bloom poorly or do not bloom at all. All their forces are spent on maintaining the green mass. Also, flowering will not take place if annual shoots are carelessly cut off, it is on them that flower buds are laid.

Hydrangea petiolate in landscape design

When creating a garden design, petiolate hydrangea is used very widely and diversely. Photos of lianoid hydrangea demonstrate that you can use it:

• for decorating a stone surface – a wall, a barn, a garage or a high fence;
• for single plantings – often petiolate hydrangea is fixed on a support of reinforcement and forms a kind of bonsai 2-3 m high;
• to create Japanese-style gardens;
• for decorating arbors and arches;
• for braiding the trunks of garden trees.

Basically, the liana-shaped hydrangea is fixed on vertical supports. But sometimes it is also used as a ground cover plant, to decorate the slopes. The disadvantage of this use case is that it is almost impossible to walk on the hydrangea creeping underfoot. Its leaves form a very slippery cover for the soil, this becomes especially noticeable after rain.

A vine-like plant that can completely transform a landscape

Winter hardiness of climbing petiole hydrangea

Adult climbing hydrangea is a very winter-hardy plant that can easily endure frosts down to -35 ° C. This allows you to grow a crop not only in the middle lane, but also in Siberia, with little or no concern for winter shelter.

Only young plants 2-3 years old are recommended to be protected from frost. It is better to remove them from the support and cover for the cold period.

Planting and caring for climbing hydrangea

One of the main advantages of climbing hydrangea is its unpretentiousness. Growing an ornamental plant is very easy, requiring only minimal effort from the gardener.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

Hydrangea needs sunlight, but does not tolerate scorching heat and drafts. Therefore, it should be planted in a site where there is shading and protection from the wind, this will allow the plant to feel comfortable and retain the ability to bloom. Optimal for culture will be the neighborhood with tall trees, fences or buildings.

Creepers feel best in light shade with wind protection.

Petiole hydrangea prefers acidic and low calcium soils. The plant feels best on loose soils with good drainage, and if the crop is to be planted on heavy soil, then special attention should be paid to the sand.

Rules of landing

A planting hole for a petiole hydrangea is prepared about 2 weeks before planting, the depth of the hole should be 2 times greater than the root system of the seedling. A mixture of peat, compost, clay, sand and leafy soil is half poured into the hole.

Before planting, the seedling of the plant is kept in water for 12 hours so that the roots are properly saturated with moisture. Then the hydrangea is lowered into a half-filled hole, straightening its roots, and covered with the remnants of the soil. The neck should be deepened by a maximum of 3 cm.

The earth in the near-trunk circle is slightly trampled down and the hydrangea is plentifully watered with water, at least 2 buckets under the root. Moist soil is mulched to prevent water from evaporating too quickly.

Most varieties of hydrangea grow quickly, so it is recommended to install supports for climbing shoots already at the planting stage. If the vines are planted in several copies, you need to leave a space of at least 1 m between them, otherwise they will interfere with each other as they grow.

Immediately after planting, it is advisable to attach the future vine to a support

Watering and top dressing

A climbing plant needs a lot of moisture, so it needs to be watered regularly. In dry, warm weather, pour 30 liters of water into the trunk circle twice a week, in rainy weather – only once a week. Water should be purified and warmed up to room temperature.

Petiole hydrangea is usually fed three times a year:

1. In early spring, at the beginning of the vegetative period, it is necessary to add urea, potassium sulfur and superphosphate under the root.
2. During the formation of flower buds, the vine is fed with superphosphate and potassium.
3. In August, 10-15 kg of compost or rotted manure are scattered under hydrangea bushes.

Also in the spring, hydrangea bushes can be watered with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, this will strengthen the plant and protect it from diseases.

Moisture-loving plants need to be watered frequently.

Pruning hydrangea petiole

In order for the petiole vine to look truly decorative, it needs to be shaped from time to time, otherwise it thickens and takes on an untidy look.

In the process of pruning, dried shoots and broken branches are removed from the plant, leaving only 6-10 strong healthy lashes. Annual shoots are not cut, but shortened to 5 pairs of buds. The main pruning is carried out in the spring, before the hydrangea starts to grow, and in the fall, all dried inflorescences are usually only removed from the vines.

How to cover petiole hydrangea for the winter

Due to its high winter hardiness, adult petiolate hydrangea does not need special winter shelter. Even in Siberia, a liana-like plant can tolerate severe frosts, if some of the shoots freeze, then in spring the petiole hydrangea will quickly release new ones.

Adult creepers do not need winter shelter

Before the onset of cold weather, they are removed from the support and laid on boards, and covered with spruce branches, non-woven material or a dense layer of fallen leaves on top.

How to propagate petiole hydrangea

To increase the population of climbing vines on the site, you can propagate the existing plant without buying new seedlings. Basically, gardeners resort to two methods of reproduction.

Cutting

Climbing vines of hydrangeas reproduce well with the help of woody cuttings. At the beginning of summer, a stalk about 15 cm long with at least 2 nodes is cut from a healthy lignified stem, the lower leaves are removed and placed in a solution with a root formation stimulator for a day. Then the shoot is planted in a box with a sand-peat mixture, watered and covered with a film.

Lianas reproduce well by cuttings and seeds.

From time to time, the film is removed to ventilate the shoot and water it again. When the young petiole vine gets stronger and starts to grow, it is transplanted under the open sky, usually the next year.

Seed Reproduction

The method is used infrequently, since it is difficult to propagate petiole hydrangea from seeds – efforts may not be successful. Acquired seeds are sown in plastic or peat pots with moist nutrient soil, consisting mainly of sand and peat. The container is covered with glass or wrapped in foil and placed in a room with a temperature of at least 18 ° C.

Until the first shoots of planting appear, you only need to periodically moisten and ventilate daily. Usually shoots are shown from the ground after 1,5 months, if you plant seeds at the end of winter, then in April the seedlings will give the first leaves.

After the appearance of leaves, seedlings can be dived. It is advisable to transfer the plant to the ground only after a year, when the seedlings get stronger as it should.

Lianas are usually transferred to an open area in the second year of life.

Diseases and pests

Curly petiole hydrangea is a plant vulnerable to pests and ailments. Most often, vines suffer from the following diseases:

• gray rot;
  
  

  The shoots and leaves of the vine first become gray and colorless, and then black spots appear on them.

• chlorosis;
  
  

  Occurs against the background of iron deficiency in the soil, the leaves of the plant turn yellow ahead of time, while the veins remain green

• white rot;
  
  

  The petiole climbing vines rot the roots, and the shoots turn black and become covered with a whitish coating.

• powdery mildew;
  
  

  First, the leaves of the petiole liana are covered with yellow spots, and then turn brown on the outside and turn purple on the inside.

• ring spot.
  
  

  The virus manifests itself as black dead spots on the leaves and quickly leads to the death of the liana-like plant.

From most fungal ailments, spring and summer sprays with Fundazol, Fitosporin and other fungicides help well. It is necessary to carry out treatments with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

From pests and fungi, creepers should be regularly sprayed prophylactically

Of the pests, the spider mite, aphids, gall nematodes and snails on vines are the most dangerous for vines. In order not to miss the infection, you need to regularly inspect the vines for harmful insects. When infected, the petiole plant can be sprayed with Actara and other insecticides and acaricides, as well as treated with Bordeaux mixture.

Conclusion

Petiole hydrangea is a very unusual and beautiful ornamental plant. Flexible long creepers can densely braid a fence, a wall of a house or an arbor, giving the garden a special charm. At the same time, it is easy to care for hydrangea – its requirements for conditions are low.

Reviews of gardeners about petiole hydrangea